He Kills Me, He Kills Me Not

Anyway, I wanted to get away from the house—away from all the relatives, you know?”
    Logan nodded encouragingly and wondered when the kid would get to the point.
    “I hiked up here and then I remember that old car. I thought it’d be fun to look inside, maybe see if any of my old army men or matchbox cars were in there.” He shuddered and shut his eyes.
    “Was the door open or shut when you got here?” Pierce asked.
    “Shut. But it wasn’t locked. I just opened it and . . .” He shuddered again, making a gagging noise in his throat.
    Logan stepped back, out of gagging range. “Thank you, Mr. Mason. Be sure to give Officer Bingham your addresses both at school and home, and any phone numbers where she can reach you if we have more questions.”
    “O . . . okay.”
    Pierce and Logan moved away to stand beneath a towering oak tree where they could keep an eye on the agents and detectives working the scene. The doors to the boxcar were propped open and several men were inside processing the evidence. One of the techs wasn’t dressed like the others. When he turned, Logan realized who he was.
    “What the hell is he doing?”
    Pierce gave Logan a surprised glance. “Who?”
    “Riley. He’s in the boxcar. I specifically told him he didn’t need to go inside, that the techs are busy in there. I don’t want him contaminating anything.”
    “What are you worried about? He knows what he’s doing.”
    Logan crossed his arms over his chest.
    “Spill it, Logan. Something’s bothering you.”
    “It’s crazy.”
    “I’m used to crazy.”
    “Okay, but let’s get out of this hot sun. Besides, I don’t want anyone else to hear this.” He led the way to his Mustang parked under a shade tree fifty yards back. He sat behind the wheel and started the engine, turning the air-conditioner to full blast as Pierce got in beside him.
    Logan watched Riley through the windshield. “Riley was a rookie cop when Dana and Amanda were abducted. He wasn’t a detective then, but he was on the force, a newbie. In a town like this we only get half a dozen murders a year, usually domestic disputes. What are the odds that a rookie cop would forget about a case as memorable as the Branson case? What are the odds that every detail wouldn’t be burned into his brain?”
    “He did remember the case. He and Clayton are the ones who told you about it.”
    “Only after Carolyn O’Donnell was found murdered.”
    Pierce watched Riley through the windshield, too. “Didn’t you say he was at a conference when she was abducted, in Alabama? And he’d only returned the morning she was found dead?”
    “Yes, but he knew about the abduction. I called him when she went missing. He’s my lead detective. I wanted to pick his brain, see what suggestions he might have for trying to find her. It didn’t occur to him to tell me about the earlier case until after O’Donnell was killed. Three days later.”
    “Which means?”
    “Which means, maybe he didn’t want her found alive.”
    Pierce stared at him as if he thought he’d gone crazy. “Are you suggesting your lead detective is the killer?”
    “I’m not suggesting anything. I’m just thinking out loud. Things aren’t adding up.”
    “What things?”
    Logan drummed his fingers on the steering wheel.
    “Come on, Logan. You’ve got my attention. Spill.”
    Logan already regretted mentioning his suspicions. He didn’t want to put a stain on Riley’s reputation, not if he was innocent. But if there was even a chance Riley could be involved, he had to look into it.
    Pierce was watching him expectantly. Logan blew out a frustrated breath. “First of all,” he said, holding up one finger, “He meets the general description Amanda gave of the killer. Second,” he ticked off another finger, “He didn’t notice the trail of footprints leading from the O’Donnell crime scene into the woods until I pointed it out.”
    “Half the male population of this town meets the general description Amanda gave. And Riley was waiting for the medical examiner. You told me that.”
    Logan ignored the interruption and continued. “Third, he didn’t mention the Branson case when Carolyn was abducted. Fourth, by walking through the grid and inside the boxcar, he’s given himself a perfect alibi if we find any trace leading back to him.”
    “Go on.”
    Logan dropped his hand. “That’s it. I don’t have anything else. Just my gut.”
    Pierce sat silently for several moments,